


"Special Delivery"

by valleya



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Gen, involves up to Season Three Common Ground
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:13:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25662661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/valleya/pseuds/valleya
Summary: A quake traps Sheppard and McKay under ground with a pregnant woman.  Shep whumpage, lots of buddy bonding, and the guys learn of a couple new things they never wanted to learn about.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 21





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was my first completed SGA fanfic. I was so proud of it. LOL! Hope you enjoy it!

**Chapter One**

"McKay, it's Christmas, lighten up a little," Sheppard muttered under his breath as he knelt behind him.

Rodney straightened from the panel he was working on and turned to him. "Let's get this perfectly clear, Colonel. Christmas has never been my favorite day of the year, not even when I was a kid. I've never cared if it was a white Christmas, blue or any other color you might name. It's just another day to me. Besides, we are in another galaxy, on a planet that has no idea what Earth celebrates in the way of holidays, so give me a break."

Sheppard frowned. "Fine, forget it's Christmas. Lighten up anyway. Otherwise, it's going to be a very long day."

McKay continued to grumble indiscernible words as he went back to digging through the disassembled control panel, attaching various wires to his test equipment, and Sheppard let him. Anything that would get the area's power distribution system fixed, so they could leave, was fine by him. Rodney had been in a snit ever since Sheppard volunteered him to check on the city's energy problem. It was a goodwill gesture, but McKay was still pretty touchy about the whole thing.

Sheppard blew lightly on his cold fingers as he stood. A recent wave of frigid weather had overwhelmed the central power generator's ability to properly distribute the city's needs. In the building's basement, the chill felt especially strong. The control room was huge. At sixty feet by thirty and filled with cabinetry, control panels, and other monitoring equipment, it was the heart of the facility. 

Sheppard glanced over to their escort, a very pregnant young woman by the name of Dr. Zalea Modek. With her dark hair and tall stature, she was a good representation of the city's population. She had a bright smile that made her blue eyes twinkle, though it could have been the pregnancy adding to her sparkle. But her smile sagged a bit as she ended a conversation with her superior, the head of the power plant, Dentin Hozer, via her handheld radio. Hozer had gone with the others to ensure a key relay switch was activated properly when the time came. 

Sheppard smiled politely and asked, "Did the others have any success?"

She shook her head slightly as she rubbed her back. "Our recent ground tremors seem to have blocked the main access to the conduit tunnels, so they are going to try another entrance."

McKay's head popped up. "Ground tremors? You've had recent seismic activity?"

Dr. Modek nodded. "Yes, they've been unusually strong lately."

Rodney sighed and got to his feet, tossing the wires in his hand back at the console. "Well, that explains the anomalous readings I've been getting." He paused, glancing around nervously. "We should really vacate the premises until the building has been checked thoroughly for structural stability."

Sheppard took a step closer. "Do you really think that's necessary?"

McKay rolled his eyes. "No, I just say these things arbitrarily. Yes, of course, I think it's necessary. Without the power distribution grid functioning properly, all the city's energy is essentially passing through one set of generators, instead of the four powerhouses it was designed to use, putting too much strain on the system. There's a distinct possibility that more severe tremors could trigger a disastrous response, even an explosion. We need more sophisticated equipment than they have on this planet to determine its safety and correct it before anybody spends any more time here."

"I don't understand," Modek said. "What would seismic activity have to do with our power distribution problem?"

"A lot, if this plant is built over a quake fault line like I think it is. It's the only thing that would explain the readings I'm getting." 

"Surely the architects took all that into accou-"

"Not enough, obviously. In their defense, part of these readings wouldn't register on the equipment you use, so they had no way to know about the dangers involved."

McKay's eyes widened. "And the readings are becoming more alarming. We better move."

Dr. Modek still looked a little confused, but she nodded. "I will tell the others to leave the building," she said as she activated her radio. 

Sheppard tapped his headset. "Lorne, this is Sheppard."

"Yes, sir?"

"Get the puddle jumper ready. It looks like your team will be going home to retrieve some equipment before we can finish up here."

Lorne replied, "On my way." 

They waited while McKay loaded up his computer and other gear. Finally, they were ready. 

"Okay, let's go – " Sheppard started. He looked around, feeling slightly dizzy. Something was wrong, and it took him a second to realize the floor beneath his feet was shaking and it was getting worse. "Ah, crap," he whispered.

He glanced at McKay who had run to stand inside one of the entrances into the main control room. Various objects started falling from the walls and tabletops. Sheppard put an arm around Zalea and pulled her away, just as one of the overhead support beams dropped from the ceiling. Debris rained down on them in its aftermath, with Sheppard shielding her as much as possible.

The young woman screamed in terror and the trembler just kept going. A smattering of seconds seemed like an eternity. Sheppard quickly looked around the room and saw few options. There was a heavy wooden conference style table sitting against one wall and he hoped it would hold up as he pushed Dr. Modek under its protection. 

"Stay here," he said curtly once she was safely there and turned toward McKay. 

"Over here," Sheppard shouted as he waved. It was hard to be heard over the deep rumbling noises from the building.

McKay looked at him and then away, reluctant to leave his position of relative safety. Sheppard raised his voice and shouted again, this time using every bit of authority he had in him, "McKay, move your ass over here right now!"

With hesitation, Rodney started toward him. He was about six feet from the doorway when the room behind him disappeared with a loud crash as the floor above collapsed on into it. Flying debris exploded from the collapsed room. One chunk hit McKay in the shoulder, knocking him to the ground. 

Sheppard crossed the distance between them with long strides as more loud crashes continued in the floors above them. He grabbed McKay by his jacket and dragged him away from the door. The lights went out and Sheppard relied on memory, hauling McKay over to the table. He pushed Rodney under it to join Dr. Modek just as the emergency power came on. 

Sheppard took a deep breath and coughed from the dust in the air. Just as quickly as it had started, the shaking stopped. There were a few more distant crashes as things settled, then the silence grew ominously. He glanced around, his gaze taking in the rubble and blocked exits and the sudden reduction in the size of the room. He turned back to McKay and Modek. "Are you two okay?"

Dr. Modek sobbed with fear, her hands wrapped around her unborn child. Sheppard knelt down to her side. "Dr. Modek, are you okay?"

She didn't seem to hear him, so he shook her arm. "Zalea, can you hear me?"

She blinked a few times, and then finally saw him. She took a ragged breath, her body visibly shaking. "Are-are we going to die?"

Sheppard gave her his best smile. "Not today. Are you okay?"

She wiped at her face with one hand. "I - I think so."

"And the baby?"

Her resolve seemed crumple with his question. She felt her abdomen with both hands and sighed with relief. "I can feel him move, so I think he's okay, too."

Sheppard smiled again. "Good, just hang in there. We'll get you out of here as soon as we can."

She nodded, but seemed unable to stop crying completely. She put a hand to her mouth and Sheppard noticed how violently her hand trembled. He squeezed her forearm in silent comfort, and then a groan from McKay made him turn to look in his direction. "McKay, are you doing okay?"

"Do I look like I'm doing okay? I was almost flattened like a pancake! Give me a moment to recover," he barked in reply. His expression was tight with pain, but he seemed more angry than seriously wounded. 

Sheppard glanced around once more. "Well, stay put while I check things out."

Dr. Modek reached out with one shaky hand. "Be careful."

He nodded as he pulled away. "Always am."

McKay snorted in response, but Sheppard ignored him. The emergency lighting helped, but it was barely enough to make out more than the dimensions of the room. He pulled up his P-90 and turned on its light, sweeping it around the room for a better look. Both exits out of the room were blocked with debris, one more than the other. They weren't going to get out of there without a lot of help.

Tapping his headset, he said, "Lorne, do you read me?"

There was a moment's delay and then Lorne replied, "Yes, sir, but the reception is bad. You're breaking up."

Sheppard went to speak, but coughed from the dust still in the air, and then spoke louder, "We're trapped in the basement of the power facility. Looks like the quake brought everything down around us."

"Are you and Dr. McKay all right?"

"Yeah, at least we are at the moment. Get on the horn to Weir and have her send in two more jumpers with men and equipment, along with Zelenka and a few more engineers. I'm afraid you're going to have to dig us out."

"Yes, sir. I'll be over there as soon as I talk to Dr. Weir."

Sheppard lowered his voice as he glanced at Dr. Modek who was still crying a short distance from them. "We've got a very pregnant woman stuck in here with us, so I'd appreciate it if you'd hurry . . . "

"Understood. I'll radio you when I'm at your location."

"Roger. Sheppard out."

McKay joined Sheppard as he clicked off his radio. The scientist was still holding his shoulder, but he didn't seem to be in as much pain as he flexed the joint, testing its mobility. "We are so screwed," he whispered as he looked at the exits and then up above him.

"Things could be worse. We could have been flattened like the next room, but we weren't."

McKay pulled the muzzle of Sheppard's weapon upward so the light shone above them. "See that rift in the ceiling over there? One more quake like the last one and we will all be human pancakes."

Sheppard glanced back to Modek about ten feet away. She was crying more heavily now that the adrenaline rush was passing. "Keep your voice down. We've got to keep that woman calm or else we'll be dealing with all kinds of things we don't want to deal with, like unscheduled baby appearances . . . "

McKay stiffened and looked back at her, his hand dropping away from his shoulder as if suddenly forgotten. "You don't think she'd actually go into labor?"

"Don't you know anything about pregnant women? Sudden shocks like this have been known to induce premature labor, so I repeat, we've got to keep that woman calm."

McKay pursed his lips and he blinked several times before he nodded in agreement. "Just on the off chance something like that happens, have you ever delivered a baby?"

Sheppard's eyes widened at the thought and he snapped back, "Do I look like a damned obstetrician? No, I don't know the first thing about delivering babies. What about you, Doctor McKay?" 

"Very funny. I'm a doctor of real science, not some quackery." McKay sighed and shook his head, repeating his earlier sentiment, though in a lower tone. "We are so screwed."

Sheppard ignored him. "Let's take inventory of what we have with us since it might take some time for them to dig us out."

With an almost mechanical demeanor, McKay emptied the contents of his vest and pants pockets onto a desk, along with Sheppard. Sheppard felt a little better as he took note of their supplies. It wasn't enough for all of them to survive on for more than a couple of days, even with rationing, but maybe if he cut back on his own portions, he could extend the supplies a little longer.

"We've got to ration everything, but we've also got to watch out for Dr. Modek. She needs to eat and drink enough for two."

McKay's expression fell. "I have a very high metabolism. I need to eat too, maybe not for two, but I need to eat . . . "

Sheppard growled, "McKay, get your head out of your stomach. What do you think will happen if that second support beam goes?"

Rodney didn't hesitate. "Pancake City."

Sheppard rubbed his forehead. He had an annoying headache and McKay wasn't helping it at all. "Enough of the pancake analogies. Won't the other support beams protect us even if that one gives way?"

"Maybe . . . "

McKay squinted as he looked up and followed the support beams to both ends. He held up his good hand, obviously recovering from his brush with death, as he pointed and talked more to himself than anyone else. "Luckily, there are several support beams over the width of this room or we'd already be dead."

  
He walked across the room with Sheppard's P-90, using its light to examine each beam separately. Sheppard followed close behind. McKay cleared his throat and said, "Actually, we might be able to strengthen this most troubling support beam, but it's a lot more difficult to calculate the weight distribution without the floor plans of this facility. Maybe if we . . . "

"If we what?" Sheppard asked, starting to follow McKay again as he began walking in another direction.

"Let me think for a minute." 

McKay's left arm still hung motionless at his side, but he didn't seem to be in as much pain as he stepped away from Sheppard, still talking to himself. Sheppard smiled. The science guy was on the case. Things were looking up.

He turned back to Dr. Modek. She was talking into her radio with a low and shaky voice. "Yes, we are all still alive, though I don't know how. We are trapped in the main control room, but it looks like all the exits are blocked. We will need help to get out."

Her chin trembled as she said, "Tell Arlin that the baby and I are okay and that I love him."

She paused, apparently letting the party on other side of radio talk. She nodded, closing her eyes. "Thank you. I better sign off for now to preserve the power unit. I will relay more information when I have it."

When she was done talking, Sheppard knelt down so that he was eye level with her. "Did the others make it out of the building in time?"

She nodded, taking a deep breath. "It seems we are the only ones trapped at the moment. They have ordered rescue teams to coordinate with your people."

"We'll be out of here in no time." He winked and said, "I think it's safe to come out from there if you want to."  
She nodded warily and put out a hand for Sheppard to help her stand, but stopped as she looked down at her calf length dress and overcoat. The floor below her was soaked with liquid. A knot formed in Sheppard's gut even before she said the words, "I think my water just broke."

Now, it was Sheppard stammering with fear. Facing the wraith singlehanded in the past hadn't really fazed him much, but give him a woman about to have a baby and he was terrified. "Your-your water broke? Ah, that's not good. Is this your first child?"

She nodded as tears began to form in her big blue eyes. "Yes, but he's not due for another month. He can't come now. This is no place to have a baby. It's not sterile. It's not warm. And my husband isn't here and neither is my doctor. I can't have the baby now," she said, the pitch in her voice rising a notch with each protest.

She grabbed Sheppard's arm and groaned as she bent low in pain. He supported her with both hands. "What? What's the matter?"

She sucked in air and squeezed her eyes shut. When she finally looked up, her face was reddened. "I think that was a contraction."

Sheppard took her by both shoulders. "No, no, no. Listen, you were right. This is no place to have a baby. Just – just cross your legs. Help is on the way. Here, let me get you some water to drink." 

He busied himself with releasing the strap securing his canteen on his tac vest and noticed a slight tremor to his own hands. He took a deep breath. The thought of playing Dr. Delivery in the Dark unnerved him much more than the risk of being crushed if the overhead support beams fully collapsed.

Zalea shifted and he took note of her awkward position. He secured the canteen strap again. "Let's get you moved first. Just have a seat on the table and relax." 

She moved fairly easily and that eased Sheppard's concerns for some reason. He helped her sit on top of the table as he pulled out his canteen again, along with a power bar.   
"I've got something for you to eat and water to drink. Just concentrate on not having that baby until we are rescued, then you can have your husband and doctor at your side to witness the birth of little junior here. Until then, no baby, promise?"

Zalea broke down in tears again, so badly this time she could hardly take a breath without shuddering. Sheppard grimaced. Damn it, where was Beckett, or even Teyla or Weir when he needed them? They could deal with an emotional mother-to-be. He just wasn't made for that kind of stuff. 

She finally picked up the canteen and took a long drink. Sheppard stood beside her, playing mother hen as he watched McKay out of the corner of one eye. Rodney had paced the length of the room's support beams twice but still seemed to be calculating something in his head. Suddenly, Zalea gasped, dropping the canteen, and reached out, clasping Sheppard's forearm with every bit of strength she had and emitted a long groan. 

"Another contraction?" Sheppard asked breathlessly, not wanting to hear the answer that would surely come.

She nodded and Sheppard glanced at his watch. It had been barely three minutes since the last one. He didn't know much about how babies were born, but he did know enough to know that contractions three minutes apart weren't a good thing.

"Just hang in there. I'm going to have our doctor brought over with the rescue teams. He is very good. He'll know just what to do."

"I'm going to have my baby a month early and here, instead of the birthing center -- without his father -- without my doctor -- without . . . " she said, her voice rising with spiraling emotion with each word. It ended by a shuddering sob and Sheppard found himself awkwardly taking her into his arms. 

"Shush, it's not all that bad. You've got me and McKay. We've come through more crazy situations than I can count and we always survive. Don't worry, we'll get you through this, too."

Rodney was back beside them by then, surprising Sheppard as he pulled out a handkerchief and gave it to her. She wiped the tears from her face and blew her nose. Rodney put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. His voice was low and calm as he said, "He's right, you know, Dr. Modek. The others will be here soon. Just keep thinking good thoughts about the baby and know we will get out of this."

Modek looked up at them and took a deep breath. "You're both right. I need to stay positive. And, please, call me Zalea."

McKay smiled and patted her hand. "I'm Rodney and you can call Colonel Sheppard John. Now that we know everyone on a first name basis, can you hold on a moment while I show something to the Colonel? We won't be away for more than a moment."

"Thank you again," she said with a stronger voice.

Sheppard fell in step behind McKay as they walked across the large room and whispered, "That was pretty damn impressive. I didn't know you had it in you."

"It takes someone who has known sheer panic to calm another panicked individual. Basically, you lie so blatantly that the panicked person will believe anything you say to them. You know, a little like what you do with me, but I never really fall for it. Besides, I couldn't let her know just how truly screwed we are."

"Well, keep that gloomy thought to yourself. And I don't lie to you, I just give you a different perspective, a better outlook on the situation." 

"And what tidbit of enlightenment do you have to impart now?"

As McKay waited with his arms folded over his chest, Sheppard looked around. "Look, we can't just stand around here doing nothing. We need to see just how bad things are in order to make them better, so get to work."

It seemed like they had barely split up when Zalea screamed, pulling Sheppard back to her side. 

"What is it? Another contraction?" Sheppard asked, putting a hand on her arm.

It took a good thirty seconds for her to respond. "They are coming faster and harder. I thought going into labor took a lot longer than this. My Aunt Kala was in labor for three days . . . "

By this time, she had grabbed his hand and squeezed the hell out of it, still riding out the last contraction. "Oh God, I can't have the baby here. I can't. This isn't the way we planned it. We've got to get out of here right now!"

Sheppard caught McKay's glance a few feet away. "Call Lorne and see where Beckett is. I have a feeling we will be needing him sooner rather than later."

McKay walked up to Sheppard, stopping a few feet away, and said in a loud whisper, "You better hope they find us fast, because there's no way in hell either one of us can deliver this baby."

Sheppard looked up at McKay and spoke through clenched teeth. "Do I need to repeat calm and coolheaded?"

"You can repeat it all you want, there's no way–"

"After you call Lorne, why don't you go follow up on those plans of yours for shoring up the support beams?" Sheppard said firmly, interrupting McKay's building tirade.

McKay's mouth opened and closed a few times before he sighed and left them to call Lorne, still muttering, but now he was far enough away that Zalea wouldn't be able to hear him. Sheppard glanced upward briefly and prayed the ceiling would hold out until help arrived.

**oOoOoOoOo**


	2. Chapter 2

  
**Chapter Two**

Zalea's tears had slowed, but she now breathed with the rhythm of someone who had cried too much too fast, almost hiccupping in response. Sheppard put a finger under her chin and brought it up to look her straight in the eye.

"Don't fall apart on me, Zalea. We need to concentrate our efforts into getting out of here and we can't do that if you lose control."

She nodded, her eyes unfocused. "I'll try."

"That's good."

Tears welled up almost immediately as she placed a hand on his chest. Her pleading gaze caught Sheppard by surprise. "Please tell me you've delivered a baby before."

Sheppard grimaced. "No, no, I haven't exactly, but I've read on the subject and seen movies and stuff like that . . . " 

His eyes had darted away, but when he looked back to Zalea, he met her gaze directly, "Don't worry, one way or another, I promise that you and the baby will be just fine. We've got people working to get us out even as we speak, people who don't know how to give up. They will find us in plenty of time."

His rousing encouragement seemed to work its magic because she relaxed a bit. At least until the next contraction hit and all of her confidence dissolved in a rush of pain.

"Here, why don't you lie down?" he asked after her breathing steadied. 

He helped her to recline on the table top, then noticed her teeth chattering. He removed his jacket so she could use it for warmth. 

"I'm so cold," she whispered.

"Your wet clothes aren't helping any," he said. "I'm going to look for something you can change into."

Her head popped up, despite her discomfort, and she looked around. "That cabinet on the far wall has emergency supplies. This basement is one of our city's designated emergency shelters, so there are supplies distributed in all the rooms of the lower levels."

Sheppard looked over at the cabinet and back at her, smiling. "Well, isn't that convenient? I'll be back in a second."

McKay had climbed up on a file cabinet, still aiming Sheppard's P-90 at the ceiling. As Sheppard approached, he sat on top of it with a dejected air. He laid the P-90 in his lap and rubbed his injured shoulder.

"What did you find?"

"Nothing short of heavy equipment and a lot of manpower is going to get us out of here."

"We knew that already. What about the ceiling?"

"Like I said before, it's fairly stable unless we have another trembler, then it's –"

"Pancake City. Yeah, I know." John scratched at his forehead as he looked around. "We've got to start thinking worst case scenarios. If that baby does come early, we will need something to wrap it in. We also need to make it warmer in here."

McKay rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, and how about a pot to boil hot water while you're at it? They always do that in the movies, though I never understood why . . . " he paused, snapping his fingers. "But there is a portable generator in the corner. Maybe I can jury-rig something for more light and maybe some heat."

"Now, you're talking."

"It doesn't change the fact that neither one of us has the slightest clue about delivering babies."

Sheppard sighed. "Women have been doing it for thousands of years . . . "

"Yes, they have, but usually in hospitals surrounded by lots of knowledgeable people."

Sheppard frowned and decided he was tired of pointing out the sunny side of life to McKay. "Just get the generator going. Zalea said this storage cabinet is full of emergency supplies. I'm going to see what's in it."

He turned away from McKay and opened both large doors to the walk in cabinet. It was nearly as big as his quarters back at Atlantis. "Wow," he whispered, his mouth dropping open.

There were jackets, coveralls, blankets, fold up cots for beds, a tool kit, rope, an industrial sized first aid kit, stacks of something resembling emergency rations and several cases of bottled water. Apparently, these people believed in being prepared, and Sheppard was very grateful they were. Things were definitely looking up. 

When he glanced back at McKay, Rodney was already fiddling with the portable generator. "This is great, McKay, there's all kinds of stuff in here."

McKay didn't sound very thrilled as he glanced back and sneered, "Did you find a pot in there to boil water, too?"

"Cute," John said as he loaded his arms with items for Zalea.

McKay spun around, squinting at the contents of the cabinet. "Is there food in there?"

"Yeah, enough for us to last for days, maybe even weeks."

"Toss me one of those food pouches. I'm starving."

"Of course you are," Sheppard said with a shake of his head. 

He threw the food over to McKay, and then he realized he hadn't heard anything out of Zalea since he'd left her. He spun around and saw her curled up on her side. He grabbed a jacket, some blankets, and few more items, then rushed over to her. Tossing one of the blankets over her, he leaned down to be at eye level.

"Zalea, talk to me. How are you doing?"

Her face was a wordless expression of pain. 

"Zalea," he asked again, pulling her arm so he could meet her gaze. "I need to know how you are."

She reached up, grabbing him by his t-shirt and pulled him closer. "I'm having a baby, how the hell do you think I am!" she yelled suddenly, startling Sheppard.

He pulled back, wondering what had happened to the polite, albeit, frightened young woman who had been there minutes before. He forced a smile on his face and kept his voice light. "That's right, you're having a baby. And look at the supplies I found. Everything you could possibly want when trapped in a collapsed building."

She didn't look nearly as happy by his discoveries as he had been, then she dissolved into another wave of tears. She cried so hard she couldn't catch her breath. He leaned closer taking her hand. "Breathe, Zalea, you've got to breathe. Think of the baby."

She nodded and forced herself to take a few slow deep breaths. He busied himself with the supplies he'd brought as he spoke of unimportant things to help keep her mind off the contractions. It seemed like he'd only just started when she grabbed his hand and squeezed it hard, screaming with the force of the contraction. Sheppard chewed on his lip as he realized that not only were the contractions coming faster, they also seemed to be lasting longer.

Sheppard looked around for McKay for backup, but he was still busy with the portable generator. John tapped his radio headset. "Lorne, do you read me?"

"Yes, sir. We've arrived at the power station. Sorry it took so long, but the area has been hit pretty hard by the quake. I've been talking to Dr. Hozer and his engineers. They will survey the damage while Stackhouse brings Beckett and Zelenka here. Weir is sending all the help she can. Give us a couple more minutes to assess your situation and I'll get back to you."

"Getting Beckett would be good, since this young lady looks like she's going to have her baby before you can get us out of here."

Zalea wailed so loudly, Sheppard had to stop speaking for a moment. 

"That doesn't sound good," Lorne said quietly.

"Just get Beckett here!" Sheppard said, raising his voice more than he meant to.

"Yes, sir. Working on it."

"Sheppard out."

He stood as she started crying again, then he noticed that she was still trembling. He grimaced, fumbling for the right words. "Um, I'll hold up the blanket to give you some privacy to get out of those wet clothes. Then you can use it to cover up afterwards."

She nodded and he held up the blanket, shielding her from his view and McKay's. After a minute, she said, "Okay, I've changed."

When he lowered the blanket, he saw she had put on the jacket and covered her lower body with the other blanket. The pile of discarded clothes sat at the end of the table. He placed the blanket he was holding over her, taking a moment to tuck her in. "Now, that's better, isn't it?"

She gave him a half-hearted smile. She didn't want the baby to come any more than he did. Another contraction hit and there was nothing he could do except hold her hand. Not that he wanted to. His hand was already aching from all the squeezing she'd already done. The room unexpectedly brightened with additional light and Sheppard put a hand up to shield his eyes. Squinting, he saw McKay emerge from behind a console and approach them. 

"That's an improvement," Sheppard said, still blinking from the sudden brightness.

"It's temporary, but I think it will last as long as we are here. Now, I'll get started on. . . "

Zalea moaned, finding Sheppard's arm without opening her eyes, her knuckles whitening with the force of her grip. He stood there for a full minute before she relaxed again. She stated the obvious as she whispered, "It's worse each time."

Sheppard looked up at McKay, knowing his sense of helplessness shone strong in his face. McKay shrugged, then flinched, holding his injured arm again. After a moment, he said, "I'm going to see if I can find that pot . . . "

"Coward," Sheppard hissed at McKay's departing back.

When he looked back at Zalea, she was crying again. "I'm-I'm sorry to be so much trouble. I really didn't plan on having the baby so soon."

"Hey," he said, his voice soft. "We didn't plan on any of this. We just have to make the best of it that we can."

She nodded, still crying. Sheppard thought it best to keep her talking. "Have you picked out a name for the little guy yet?"

Zalea smiled. "Yes, after my husband's father. Masan."

"Well, that's a good strong name. I'm sure it will suit him. He's gonna be a strong kid if he decides to make his appearance right now."

There was a rumbling again, but this time, it seemed to come from above. 

"Ah, crap," McKay exclaimed as he flattened himself against a wall to minimize his exposure to falling objects. Sheppard pulled Zalea off the table and moved her underneath it. Debris showered the floor, but the support beams remained in place. 

As it ended, Sheppard shot a worried look at McKay. "That was different."

"Yes, it was." McKay tapped his radio headset. "Lorne, whatever idiot is up there experimenting with the rubble, tell him to stop! It's shifting the ceiling over our heads!"

"Yes, sir, they stopped the moment they realized what was happening."

"Tell them to wait until Zelenka is there and not touch a damned thing before then."

"Yes, sir."

McKay tapped the radio off and sighed. "We were lucky that time." 

Sheppard chewed on the inside of his cheek for a second. "Maybe we should move everything to the other side of the room by the control panel and the supply cabinet. The support beams seem stronger over there."

McKay glanced along the beams again. "Yeah, that might not be a bad idea."

"Help me move her."

Zalea wrapped her blanket around her torso and they escorted her to the other side of the room. John went back to retrieve the rest of the supplies they'd left on the table when there was another rumble. He grabbed the medical kit and turned to run back toward the others as bits of the ceiling began to drop. The falling material stung as it hit, peppering his head and shoulders, then one larger piece struck Sheppard on the side of his forehead, staggering him for a moment. His vision blurred, making him blink to clear it as he dropped to his knees. 

He felt hands grab him by his arm and shirt, pulling him away. His disorientation grew when a loud rumble signaled the collapse of another support beam near the site of the first collapse. McKay flung both of them as far as he could and they hit the ground hard as debris spread out over them like a dust cloud.

Sheppard was only distantly aware of what was happening. McKay pulled away and yelled into his radio, "Damn it, Lorne, what the hell is going on up there? You almost killed Sheppard just now!"

"It wasn't us, sir, I swear. Things are still settling."

McKay coughed. "Well, it almost settled right top of us!"

When McKay rocked back to his heels, Sheppard's double vision cleared a little. He raised his head to stare at the area where they'd just stood in disbelief, for it was now six feet deep in rubble. McKay switched off his radio and muttered, "Imbeciles."

Feeling another wave of dizziness, Sheppard's head dropped back to the ground and he groaned without meaning to.  
"Rodney, how is he?" Zalea called from her position.

"I think he'll be okay," he said nervously, then caught Sheppard's eye as he said, "He's got a pretty hard head."

Sheppard made a face at him as he brought his hand up to his forehead. Zalea was about to say something more when she groaned with a contraction. McKay straightened from Sheppard's side. "Do you need help?"

She shook her head, unable to speak.

John cleared his throat. "Go help her. I'm fine," he said, putting more force into his words than he felt. 

McKay started to stand when Zalea waved him off. 

"It looks like everybody is playing the martyr today," he mumbled. "Well, I guess I'm staying with you. Out of the two of you, you look the worst. At least, you're bleeding the most."

Sheppard looked up at McKay, his voice rough as he still battled to regain full consciousness. "Damn it, McKay, why don't you ever listen to me when it's important?"

McKay just gave him a withering glare. Sheppard closed his eyes, ignoring him. After a moment, he whispered, "Thanks for the assist back there."

McKay shrugged. "Now, we're even. You saved me earlier, now I saved you."

"You were keeping score?"

"I always do."

Sheppard stared at McKay in confusion for a second before he said, "You always . . . do?" He grunted, rubbing his forehead. Sometimes the things that came out of McKay's mouth dumbfounded him. 

The light from McKay's portable generator flickered for a moment before returning to normal. The room was now half its original size, but it was easier to see up into the rafters above the collapsed section. What Sheppard saw didn't encourage him. Beams and wall supports were scattered atop the collapsed rubble like a massive game of pick up sticks. He had no idea how the others were going to get down to them, but that was the concern of Zelenka and his engineers at the moment. 

He started to rise and faltered. 

  
"Give yourself a minute," McKay said in a low voice as he grabbed the first aid kit that had fallen from Sheppard's hand in all of the commotion. "That's a nasty gash you have on your forehead."

Sheppard wiped at his temple with the side of his hand. As it came away, he was surprised to see it heavily streaked with blood. "It's nothing, more irritating than anything else." 

"Please, consider those of us who puke at the sight of blood . . . "

McKay pulled out a dressing, and pressed it against the cut on Sheppard's head, making Sheppard hiss with discomfort. "Ow! It was fine before, now it hurts like a son of a bitch. Thanks!"

"To quote you, suck it up," Rodney said as he wrapped the dressing awkwardly around Sheppard's head. 

Sheppard continued to complain, "I would if you'd leave my head alone! Listen, it's not that bad."

"Might be a concussion . . . "

"It's not a concussion," Sheppard protested, but he came off sounding like a whining kid as he rose up on his elbows.

"Well, you've had enough to know," McKay said. 

"Colonel Sheppard?" 

Without warning, Beckett's voice came over Sheppard's headset, making him sit upright. The room began to spin a bit before it settled down. 

McKay nearly leapt for joy. "Carson, am I glad to hear your voice!"

Beckett chuckled. "And it's good to hear yours. How is everyone doing?"

"We're banged up a little, but all things considered, we're doing fairly well."

Sheppard raised an eyebrow at McKay's comment. "That was positive," Sheppard said in a loud whisper.

McKay rolled his eyes. "I'm not all doom and gloom, you know."

"Yes, you are."

"Colonel Sheppard?" Beckett interrupted with alarm. "You don't sound so good."

"I'm fine, just banged my head when things started falling here a minute ago. Besides, you've got another patient to focus on . . . "

"Aye, I understand you have a little lady ready to deliver."

Sheppard sighed. "Yeah, and the sooner you get down here the better."

Zelenka interrupted. "Sorry, Colonel, but no one is going anywhere until we can ensure our actions won't make matters worse."

McKay sighed with relief. "Radek, thank God. Tell me what you see from above and I'll tell you what's going on down here."

"McKay . . . " Sheppard started.

"Look, do you want us all to die?" Rodney said, turning to face Sheppard. "You can talk to Carson after we're done."

Beckett's voice was hesitant. "Colonel?"

"It's okay. Let them talk for a minute, but then the radio belongs to me and Beckett. We need to have a game plan."

"Yes, yes, now shut up, you're wasting precious moments. Radek, what do you see as the primary concern?"

The two scientists began talking. Sheppard scratched at the bandage on his head. He was tempted to just pull it off, but he changed his mind when he felt how quickly the dressing had become wet with blood. He looked over at Zalea and found her bent over with another contraction. He got to his knees with a lurch and then to his feet, and awkwardly made his way over to her. 

She was still panting, her face red and sweaty. He sat down heavily beside her. "How are you doing?"

Her big blue eyes pierced Sheppard's heart. "I'm scared."

"We've had a lot to be scared about, but the important thing is that we don't let it paralyze us. Between the three of us, we've got a lot of smarts, and there are the others up top trying to find a way to get to us. We'll make do until they get here."

"I know you're right, but I'm sacred to death about having the baby here, in the middle of all of this. . . "

He patted her hand. "We can do this," he said simply.

She sighed, then looked at the bandage on his head. "Does it hurt?"

Sheppard made a face. "This? Nah. McKay was right. I have one of the hardest heads around."

She cried out with the next contraction that lasted close to two minutes. When she could talk next, she said, "I think – I think we're getting close."

Sheppard straightened. "Close? As in the baby is coming close? Damn, this is happening way too fast!"

She nodded. Sheppard tapped his radio. "This is Sheppard. You guys can talk later. Right now, I need Beckett and I need him now."

Beckett came on the line. "Yes, Colonel."

"I think the baby is close to coming."

McKay was standing next to the collapsed area, looking up, when he spun around and cursed. Beckett sounded surprised, too. "Already? I thought she started labor pains shortly after the quake. Is this her first child?"

"Yeah."

"Well, it's a wee bit unusual, but not completely unheard of."

"What supplies do you have?"

"A large medical kit, water, blankets . . . "

"Is there something you can use as a clamp on the umbilical cord before you cut it?"

"Clamp?" Sheppard looked around, catching McKay's gaze. McKay reached into a tool bag and pulled out some small zip ties. Sheppard smiled. They could wrap one around the cord and cinch it up, almost as effective as a clamp. "Yeah, we have something that would work."

  
"And you've got your knife?'

"Yeah."

"All you need to do is sterilize it and choose which of you is going to deliver the little one."

When Sheppard's gaze met McKay's, they both shook their heads, pointing at the other one. Sheppard shook his head with more vigor, making it hurt. He held it as he got to his feet and stammered, "You-you should deliver the baby, Rodney. You've got the science background – "

McKay followed him until they were a few steps away from Zalea. McKay put out his hand to stop Sheppard from continuing. "No, you're the commander. You should do it. Besides, I've got a bad arm."

Sheppard's eyes bulged a bit. "Yeah, well, I've got a – concussion."

"You said you didn't before."

"Well, I've got one now."

McKay stuck out his chin. "Well, I'd pass out."

Both of them sighed in disgust. Sheppard ran a hand through his hair and said, "Let's resolve this fairly, in a traditional time tested way. Rock, Paper, Scissors."

McKay smiled and nodded, but the game was cut short by Zalea's scream. 

Sheppard sighed. He'd known from McKay's first squeamish glance that he'd be the one, but he'd been hoping for a different resolution. He turned to McKay. "I'll do it, but you are staying by my side in case I need some backup."

McKay nodded. Sheppard turned to go to Zalea when he swayed for a moment, enough to McKay grab his arm and say, "Are you sure you are up for this? You took a pretty hard blow to the head."

"Don't have any choice. I have a feeling once that baby starts coming, you'll faint."

"I don't faint, I pass out, and who's to say I will – "

Sheppard ignored him as he started in Zalea's direction, but he stopped when he saw she had the radio to her ear.   
"Can I speak to Arlin?" she asked in a rush. He must have come on the line, because her expression lit up with relief, which quickly turned to fear. Her voice trembled. "I can't believe you won't be here for Masan's birth," she whispered.

The two men paused to give Zalea some privacy. McKay looked antsy and said, "I'm going to round up the supplies we'll need." 

He delved into the supply cabinet as Sheppard said, "Be sure to cut a couple of those blankets into towels and diapers. We don't know for sure how long we'll be stuck down here and I like being prepared." 

While McKay got to work, Sheppard paused, standing idly by, waiting for Zalea to finish, which she did a moment later. "I love you, too. Stay on the radio in case I need you."

Sheppard took a deep breath and went to her side. McKay joined them a moment later, his hands full of supplies. Zalea nearly dropped the radio as she screamed with a major contraction. 

McKay fumbled to pick up the radio while Sheppard grabbed her hand. "Breathe, Zalea, breathe."

John glanced upward, as if that would help him get Beckett's attention more easily. "Help me out here, Doc. What do we do?"

"You need to check and see if the baby is crowning."

Sheppard frowned, not fully understanding what Beckett was talking about. "What?"

"You need to see if you can see the baby's head."

"Oh," Sheppard said quietly.

Zalea's eyes squeezed shut until the last contraction ended. When she looked at Sheppard next, she took a ragged breath and said, "I think it's time."

Sheppard sighed and nodded with dread. "Okay, let me get down there where I can see what's going on. I mean, if you're ready for that – "

"Go," she said breathlessly.

He took a deep breath and moved down to her feet. Before he got there, she had another contraction, grabbing McKay's hand and squeezed. McKay let out a howl of his own. 

Sheppard frowned at him. "Buck up, McKay."

McKay winced and muttered, "It's okay. It's only my right hand. It's only the hand I use for everything. I don't think she broke every bone . . . "

She groaned as she brought up her knees and pushed down. Sheppard didn't waste any more time. He threw back the edges of the blanket over her knees and moved her legs a little further apart so that he could see and was surprised to see the crown of the baby's head pushing through.

"Oh, boy. He's coming, Doc."

"Tell her to push hard. She's going to do all the work. All you are going to do is catch the baby and clean him up, clamp, and then cut the umbilical cord."

He readied himself and said, "Okay, Zalea, push. Push for all your worth!"

She glared at him, looking like she thought she was already pushing. She took a deep breath and bore down again. Another quick breath and she pushed again. The baby's head and shoulder came out. She pushed one more time and the rest of him slid all the way out.

"He's here!" Sheppard said, laughing as he held the baby up for Zalea and McKay to see. "Damn, will you look at that!"

Zalea started crying. "He's beautiful."

McKay turned away, looking a little green as he swallowed several times like he was trying to swallow down bile, but he didn't say anything aloud.

Beckett spoke up. "You aren't done yet, Colonel. Make sure his airway is clear. Take a cloth or a paper towel and clear his mouth of fluid."

Sheppard had barely finished when the baby screamed, quiet at first, then rising in tone. "I think his lungs work just fine, Doc."

The tiny infant screamed louder, throwing its whole body into wailing. Sheppard relaxed a bit. This was a good strong baby. John thought about the next step. "McKay . . . " he said, "I need your help now."

McKay scooted down to Sheppard's position, not willingly, but he came anyway. "I need a wet rag to wipe him down, then we need to do the umbilical cord thing before we wrap him up."

"You do remember that I can lose consciousness at the sight of blood?"

Zalea screamed with another contraction, startling both McKay and Sheppard. "What is it? You aren't having twins, are you?" McKay asked, his voice breaking at the end.

Before she could reply, Beckett said, "No, it's probably the placenta. Continue with the baby. I'm sure it's cold down there and you will need to wrap him up warmly as soon as possible."

Between McKay and Sheppard, they got him cleaned up and the cord cut and tied off, and then John put Masan into Zalea's arms. "Oh, he's beautiful. He's just beautiful," she whispered.

"Yes, he is," Sheppard whispered. 

She picked up her radio, her voice trembling with awe, "Arlin, he's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. He's healthy and strong and . . . "

As she spoke, Sheppard looked over at McKay, and he was surprised to find tears in the scientist's eyes as he stared at the baby. "He's beautiful," McKay repeated, then stopped when he realized Sheppard was staring at him.

Sheppard smiled. "Come on, McKay, let's clean up things here while mom and baby have some quality time to get acquainted."

**oOoOoOoOo**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Sheppard had taken a quick break a few hours later and fell asleep without meaning to. When he awoke, he opened his eyes to find Zalea asleep with Masan lying on her chest. He smiled at the sight and felt strangely warmed by it. He looked around for McKay and found him staring up into the opening made by the ceiling's collapse. Sheppard sat up and fumbled with the dressing around his head, and then pulled it off in irritation.

Getting to his feet, he wandered over to McKay. "What're you looking at?"

"Oh, hi. The broken timber from the collapse. I was wondering if we could move some of it from the collapsed section to shore up the beams that look most problematic."

Sheppard nodded in agreement. "That's a good idea."

He started to walk toward the pile of rubble and McKay ran to catch up with him. "Wait. It might be a good idea, but I wouldn't just go traipsing around without careful examination – "

"I'm careful," Sheppard said with quiet annoyance as he stepped around McKay. 

"Yeah, that's why you've got that gash on your forehead."

"Some things are calculated risks," John said as he stopped in front of the collapsed area, his gaze skimming over it until he saw what he wanted. He hoisted himself up and into a position where he could stand. 

McKay's voice echoed his nervous movements. "Watch your step. Who knows what is exposed up there. You could – "

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Sheppard said as his eyes got used to the darker lighting up above. Still, he didn't move, mostly because he was dizzy from the climb, not that he'd let McKay know he was right, but it was also dark and ominous up there. Once the dizziness had passed, he could see one of the loose timbers nearby and started to make his way over to it.

"Watch your step," McKay repeated.

"Yes, Mother," Sheppard said with sarcasm. He started to move forward when his boot went through the debris up to his knee.

"What? What was that?" McKay asked, standing on his toes to see Sheppard.   
Sheppard had managed to catch himself before he did any damage, so he only had scratches on his shin, but the scare was enough to make him reevaluate his decision to go up there. He turned and looked down at McKay. "I'm fine, but this stuff is too unstable."

"Ya think?" McKay muttered.

It took Sheppard a lot more effort to get down than climb up. "Okay, McKay, I'll give you this much. Sometimes, you do manage to be right," he said breathlessly as he leaned against the collapsed section. Rodney looked like he was trying very hard not to say, _'I told you so'_ , but he managed to remain silent. After a minute, he changed gears and asked, "Are you hungry?" 

Sheppard frowned at him. "Is that all you think about?"

McKay looked at him with a blank expression. "What's wrong with food? We need to keep our strength up."

Sheppard started to shake his head, and then realized he was a little hungry. "Okay, food is a good idea."

McKay smiled. "That food pouch you gave me earlier wasn't half bad. Let's go see what else they've got in there."

Zalea opened her eyes as they approached. She checked Masan and then looked back at them. McKay stopped. "We were just going to try some of the meals in storage. Would you like one?"

She shook her head, but sat up. "I'm not hungry, but I would like some water."

"Stay put, I'll get it for you," McKay said.

Sheppard looked down at her as she smoothed out some wrinkles of the coveralls she'd put on after Masan was born. "How are you feeling?"

"Better than I thought I would be."

McKay returned with her water, and then gave Sheppard one of the two meals he had with him as they sat beside her. McKay opened the outer wrapping of his meal and sniffed at it. Intrigued, he smiled and took a big bite. Sheppard looked at his serving. It was some type of pita bread with meat inside.

Smiling, McKay took another big bite. "This isn't half bad," he said with a full mouth.

  
Sheppard opened the wrapper, but he didn't think it smelled as good as McKay thought it did. He took a tentative bite and let the flavors wash over his palate. It was actually pretty good until his stomach started doing flip-flops. He set the food down as he tried to swallow back the nausea. 

"We should check in with Zelenka and Lorne," Sheppard said after a moment, preparing to get to his feet. "I'll do that while you eat."

McKay nodded, but his eyes were on Sheppard's discarded meal. "Sure. Hey, are you going to finish that?"

McKay looked at Sheppard like a puppy begging for a treat. Sheppard made a face at him. "No, I'm not that hungry. It's all yours."

"Thanks!" McKay said.

He scooped up the meal, and then noticed Zalea looking at him strangely with her bottle of water in midair. She sounded slightly confused as she said, "You do know there are several meals in the cabinet if you are still hungry?"

"Um, yeah, but this will suffice for now," McKay said, with a hint of guilt. She still stared at him, making him say, "Well, you see, I have a very high metabolism and – "

Sheppard shook his head as he tapped his radio. "Dr. Zelenka, this is Sheppard checking in. How much longer do you think you'll be?"

He frowned when he got an answer he didn't like. "Damn," he said with a sigh.

**oOoOoOoOo**

Sheppard rubbed a hand over his face. It had been hours since his check in with Zelenka. McKay and Zalea had fallen asleep, along with Masan, leaving Sheppard to watch over them. Then Masan started fussing as he lay beside his mother. John didn't want him to awaken the others, so he'd picked him up. After a little rocking, Masan fell right back to sleep, lying in the crook of Sheppard's arm. 

Sheppard wondered if he should call Zelenka again, but decided not to. He'd harassed the Czech enough already and the man knew to call him if there was any new developments. He remembered his most recent conversation with Zelenka. 

_"There is no safe way to get through this rubble without bringing it all down on top of you, so we are going to cut through one of the power conduits that run down and parallel to your level, and then break through the wall to reach you. There's about twenty feet between the two structures, so it will take time to dig and shore up the tunnel as we go."_

Sheppard looked at his watch. Another six to eight hours now seemed like an eternity. He let his thoughts drift and became aware of soft breathing, little puffs of air blown in his direction and smiled. When he looked down, he saw Masan's eyes open and seeming to be studying him. He brought a finger to the baby's chin. "You are amazing," he whispered.

Masan's head bobbed up and down. Sheppard smiled. "Glad you agree."

Then Masan tried to turn his head to suckle on his finger which Sheppard moved away quickly. "That's not really what you want."

He sat up and Masan didn't appreciate the change in position. He started crying. Zalea opened her eyes and looked around for the baby. Her sudden fear was soon replaced with relief when she saw Sheppard holding him. Sheppard gave her with a woeful smile. "I think he's hungry and I don't have the right equipment to feed him."

Zalea chuckled and held out her hands. Sheppard brought him over to her, kneeling as she took the infant. She kissed Masan on the top of his head as soon as he was in her arms. Sheppard started to turn away, but she stopped him with a hand on his arm. With her lips still touching the baby's head, she asked, "How are you feeling?"

Sheppard gave her a smile. "It's nothing to worry about. Honest."

"I hope it isn't," she whispered, tears welling in her eyes. "Thank you. I don't know what I would have done without you or Dr. McKay to help us."

Sheppard shrugged. "You're a strong lady. You did the hard part. We just helped out a little."

She reached over and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you anyway."

He got to his feet as Zalea turned her back to him to face the wall and prepared to nurse Masan. As he stood there, he sensed McKay was awake. 

"You rested up some now?" Sheppard looked down at Rodney.

"As rested as I'm going to be."

"How's that shoulder?" 

McKay looked away and took a deep breath. "Feels like I got kicked by a rogue elephant."

"That's better than feeling like you've been trampled by one." He gave McKay a hand up. "Well, Lorne told me the rescue teams are progressing on the tunnel faster than they thought, so that's encouraging."

McKay grunted and got to his feet. "Encouraging? We could have probably dug ourselves out faster . . . " he said with a disgusted sigh.

He walked over to the control panel he'd been working on before the quake and picked up some wires. Sheppard followed him over. "What are you going to do?"

McKay shrugged. "Try to finish up what you volunteered me to do."

Sheppard winced. "Look, for what it's worth, I'm sorry that it led to this."

McKay absently rubbed at his shoulder. "Well, as someone said recently we can't just stand around here doing nothing. Besides, I think we've almost got the problem solved." 

Zalea came up from behind them. "Need some help? Masan's asleep again and I'm tired of lying down."

McKay smiled. "Well, yes, you could work on splicing this connection to that one over there. Hopefully, it will bypass one of our problem areas. I'll work on bringing up the main grid as a simulation on my laptop."

Sheppard grunted in surprise. "You mean this stuff is still working? After all the damage?"

Zalea nodded. "The heart and soul of the power plant are in these lower levels. The upper floors were mostly administrative."

McKay waved a hand as he started working on his laptop, assuming that distracted air he always got when he was multitasking. "Their master systems have all kinds of redundancies and safeguards. At least as far as what I need to do."

Sheppard put up his hands. "Okay, I'll let you work. Is there something else I can do?"

"Go away?"

Sheppard gave McKay a dirty look, but backed away as requested. Once again, it was time to let the science guys work and that was fine by him. He'd find something to keep himself occupied.

**oOoOoOoOo**

"Ah, crap," Sheppard muttered as he pulled Masan away from his chest and then his shirt with the other hand. "He just peed on me."

McKay chortled and said, "Then, it's actually _'ah, pee'_ , and not _'ah, crap'_ _._ Two entirely different scenarios."

"This isn't funny," Sheppard said as he glared at him.

Zalea came over to take Masan. "I warned you that he'd just been fed."

"Yeah, well, he was crying, you were busy and I was helping. Now I need to find another shirt."

He handed Masan to Zalea and pulled off his t-shirt. Masan wasn't happy going back to Zalea and started crying again, louder this time. Zalea rocked him gently as she reached into the cabinet and pulled out a pair of coveralls. "This is the best we have in the way of other apparel."

Sheppard looked at them and frowned. "Thanks. And to think I was starting to get fond of the little guy . . . "

"He is crazy about you too," Zalea said softly as she took one of the blanket remnants and used it to change Masan's wet diaper. Sheppard stepped into the coveralls as Zalea looked in his direction. 

McKay turned toward them, looking over his laptop. "I could really use some help here, Zalea. We are at a crucial juncture."

Zalea glanced to McKay, and then Sheppard. Masan's crying kicked up another notch and Sheppard sighed. "Fine, I'll take him. Go help McKay. I feel next to useless right now anyway. What I wouldn't give to have my PDA with me."

Zalea handed him over asked with a smile. "What about if he pees on you again?"

Sheppard grimaced and cleared his throat. "At least there's a few more pairs of coveralls to go through, if needed."

"Zalea . . . " McKay said with irritation. "I'm waiting . . . "  
"Yeah, yeah, she's coming, McKay. Give her a break. You do remember that she just had a baby?"

McKay just waved a hand in his direction and ignored him. Sheppard glanced down and spoke to Masan, "You have to forgive mean old Uncle Rodney. He's kind of like the Grinch. You know, that guy whose heart was two sizes too small, but he grows on you."

"Har-har-har," McKay said without looking back. 

Masan quieted some, but didn't stop crying completely, so Sheppard started rocking him as he walked around the room. 

"And you better not tell anyone that I'm doing this, kid," he whispered to Masan. "If word of me babysitting gets out back at Atlantis, I'll never hear the end of it. It's going to be bad enough as it is after they hear I delivered you. I can hear the jibs already . . . "

Masan hiccupped and Sheppard put him up to his shoulder and patted his back. He pulled him away a bit and added, "And if you burp up on me, I'm handing you back to your mother, understood?"

Masan looked at him intently and Sheppard wondered what the infant saw when he stared at him like that. Sheppard stopped near the base of a column next to the collapsed section and turned to go back in the other direction when there was a rumbling from above. It was the last thing he saw before everything came crashing down around him.

**oOoOoOoOo**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"Sheppard? Sheppard! Answer me, damn you!"

Sheppard heard an angry, but concerned voice shouting at him from afar and wondered what had gotten McKay so riled. He moved his head slightly and realized he was lying on his right side in a semi-dark place. There was broken concrete and rubble closing in around him, forming a tight cocoon of debris.

A tiny, but animated scream erupted below him, mobilizing him into action in an instant. 

"Masan!" Sheppard whispered, his heart skipping a beat as he moved one arm to reveal Masan cradled safely in a crevice between his chest and the ground. He had instinctively tried to shield Masan's body with his own as the debris fell around them. The realization that only a little more pressure could have smothered Masan made his heart beat faster. Masan struggled to be free and Sheppard eased his hold on him.

"Sheppard! Can you hear me?" It was McKay shouting at him again.

"Yeah, I hear you," Sheppard called out. He was shocked to hear how faint his voice sounded as it echoed around him. 

Now, Sheppard could hear Zalea crying. "Can you see him, Dr. McKay? Can you see Masan?"

Apparently, they hadn't heard his response. Sheppard started to shift so that he could get McKay's attention, but instead he sucked in air as fiery pain shot from his right leg. Squeezing his eyes shut, he laid there for a while, trying to control the throbbing of his head and the fiery blasts from his right thigh. Masan's crying became more frantic and Sheppard's priorities shifted. He'd deal with whatever injuries he had once Masan was safe.

He opened his eyes and leaned forward to bring his lips close to Masan's head. "Shush, it's okay. Let me check you out," he said, surprised by the continuing weakness in his voice.

He felt along Masan's arms and legs with a shaky hand, but he didn't feel anything broken. His fingers moved to probe around the baby's neck and chest and he was relieved not to find anything that stood out as a problem. Still, there could be internal injuries. 

There wasn't a lot of light to work with, but he used what little was there to visually examine Masan from head to toe, and then he did it again. There wasn't any blood that he could see, and the knowledge made him sigh with relief. He turned slightly, trying to figure out how to get out of his concrete prison. 

"Damn it, Sheppard! Answer me or so help me if you aren't dead, I'll kill you myself!"

"Oops," John whispered.

He'd forgotten about McKay. He went to answer, but moved his leg without meaning to and the fireball exploded in his leg again. Something was definitely wrong. He could move his foot, so he didn't think the limb was broken or crushed underneath the concrete rubble, but something was going on, something not good.

There was some noise above him, and then more light came streaming in. Its brightness burned his eyes and made him blink several times. McKay shouted again, despair starting to enter in his tone, "Sheppard?"

"Yeah, we're here," John called out breathlessly.

"Sheppard? Oh, thank God!"

John went to reply when the rubble around him started shifting. He shouted, "Hey, watch it!"

"Sorry. Give us a few more minutes and we should have things cleared enough to get to you."

"How's Masan?" Zalea asked in a panicked rush.

Sheppard looked at Masan more closely, wishing he knew for sure if the baby was okay. He had to yell to be heard over Masan's crying. "He looks all right, but it's kind of dark in here."

"Hold on, we're working as fast as we can."

Sheppard cradled Masan as the baby continued to cry, letting his lips brush against Masan's squirming shoulder. "I know, little guy, I want to get out of here, too."

It didn't take much movement at all for the pain to race through his system again, feeling like it was jagged bolts of electricity, instead of pain impulses. He wanted to wail right alongside with Masan, but resisted the urge. As long as he didn't move his leg, the pain was tolerable, barely tolerable, but enough so that he could think. 

Taking a deep breath, McKay said, "Okay, we're almost there."

Dust and small rubble started raining down on him. "Hey, be careful!" Sheppard yelled with irritation, leaning over protect Masan from the debris.

"Sorry, sorry," McKay answered.

"Damn, you've got good lungs," Sheppard whispered to Masan, blinking as the baby's screams bounced off the enclosed area and echoed inside his head.

"Masan!" Zalea called, her voice quivering with worry. "Are you sure he's okay, John?"

Sheppard raised his head and shouted to be heard over Masan, "Yeah, I think he's okay, just a little scared . . . and definitely pissed off." 

He moved to give Masan a little more room and groaned when he moved his leg.

"Sheppard?" McKay asked, his voice closer now. "You don't sound good."

"Something's wrong with my leg, but I think I'm okay. Though I'm starting to feel pretty closed in here."

"That will soon be resolved," McKay said and a chunk of something fell with a loud thud.

"Did you do that?" Sheppard asked cautiously.

Before McKay answered, there was more movement from McKay's side. Things got a lot brighter, and then there was McKay's sweaty, grime-streaked face looking over the edge of the rubble separating them. "You should be so dead right now."

Sheppard grunted, but smiled. "Remember what I said about doom and gloom? You need to be more positive."

"Hey, that was positive." He pushed away some more rubble, causing it to hit the floor hard. "You should see yourself. You look like a poster boy for disaster relief."

Zalea also leaned over the opening. "Do you think it's possible for you to pass Masan to me?" 

She looked frightened and exhausted, and he didn't blame her. They'd had way too many brushes with danger to suit him. When he looked down at Masan, he saw the infant was strangely quiet now and Sheppard hoped he was just sleeping, but the sudden change in behavior unnerved him.

He stared at Masan. "You know, it might not be a good idea to move him until someone can really check him out."

There was a pause which McKay filled. "Yeah, okay, good thinking. We'll keep working. Shouldn't be too long."

Sheppard nodded. "Okay," he answered, noting how the weakness in his voice had grown. 

He must have dozed off himself while waiting, because the next thing he knew McKay was hanging down over one side of the rubble, shaking his arm. Sheppard blinked a few times, noticing that Zalea was in a small space next to him, hovering over Masan without touching him. She looked petrified. His head popped up as he asked, "What? What is it?" 

She started crying and he followed her gaze. Masan wasn't moving. Sheppard reached out a shaky hand and touched Masan's neck. He sighed with relief to find a pulse, and then the infant took in a deep breath. 

"Oh, thank God," Rodney whispered, speaking for all of them.

"I think he just wore himself out crying," Sheppard said softly as Zalea gently ran her fingers over Masan's body just as Sheppard had done minutes before.

Masan turned his head toward her touch and opened his mouth. Sheppard smiled. That kid had an appetite that rivaled McKay's. She went to pick Masan up when he stopped her. "McKay, call Beckett. Make sure we have his approval before we start moving Masan around. We don't want endanger him by rushing things."

He swallowed and closed his eyes as McKay spoke to Beckett. "Carson, we've reached Sheppard and the baby. Both of them are alert. What do we do now?"

While Beckett gave McKay instructions, Zalea balled one hand into a fist in frustration. "All I want to do is hold him."

Sheppard nodded as he whispered, "I know. Just remember he's a strong kid. He'll be all right."

She nodded. Masan started squirming, getting fussier by the second, which prompted more nervousness from his mother. Soon, Zalea was allowed to pick him up, though very carefully. Because of the close quarters, she handed Masan up to McKay's waiting arms from where he laid against the rubble. She climbed up and took Masan from him, disappearing from sight.

McKay climbed down to Sheppard's side. "You look like hell."

"Thanks," Sheppard said softly. "Like I needed to hear that." 

Now that Masan was taken care of, Sheppard's injuries were screaming for attention. He started trembling. Despite his best efforts to stop, his muscles stubbornly refused to obey. 

McKay leaned forward. "Beckett's asking about you now."

"Tell him I want to get the hell out of here. Think he can manage that?" John answered with irritation. He was shaking from the cold and lying on the hard floor didn't help things.

McKay rolled his eyes. "We all want to get out of here. Stop being so petulant." 

Sheppard frowned. "Well, since I've still got some of this rubble pinning my legs down, I think I'm allowed. Get this shit off of me."

"One thing at a time. You're just lucky it was the end of this section that collapsed down around you and not the entire support beam."

Sheppard tried to rise up on his elbow to speak, but his awkward angle made it difficult, especially with his weakness and quivering muscles. McKay reached down and picked up Sheppard's radio headset from the debris on the floor. "You lost this."

McKay started to hand it to him when he stopped, staring at Sheppard's head. He pulled back, looking worried. "Uh, you're bleeding in that ear. Why don't I just hold on to this for you? It might not work any way."

He paused, looking away as he listened, slipping Sheppard's headset into a pocket. "Yes, yes, I hear you, Carson." Turning back to Sheppard, he said, "Carson is feeling ignored. He wants to know your condition. You said something earlier about your leg . . . "

Sheppard sighed in frustration. "Yes, my leg hurts, but we can't see what's going on with it until you get this crap off of me, can we? Or do I have to move the damned stuff myself?"  
McKay sighed. "Look, you two, I'm getting it from both sides. Sheppard wants to be free and you want – what? A new set of vitals? Do I look like Florence Nightingale?"

He looked to Sheppard. "Okay, stop whining and let me do what Carson wants, and then I'll get back to getting you free, okay? Will that make everyone happy?"

Sheppard gritted his teeth together, but nodded. McKay touched Sheppard's wrist to take his pulse and then patted Sheppard's bare arm and forehead. "Your skin is cold and clammy, and you're shaking like crazy . . . " 

McKay's eyes widened, and then he straightened. "Beckett, I think Sheppard in going into shock."

John groaned, trying to suppress his shaking. McKay grasped Sheppard's wrist. "His pulse is fast and thready. He's breathing fast and shallow. And he's bleeding from several cuts, the worst from his head wound. Why didn't I do this earlier?" 

He paused again, apparently listening to Beckett. "So, you're saying that alone wouldn't account for his symptoms?"

Sheppard ground his teeth together. "I'm right here, you know. Don't I have some say in the matter?"

McKay glared at him. "Shut up," he said, then glanced away. "No, not you, Carson. I meant Sheppard."

McKay went silent as he listened to Beckett's orders. "Okay, I'll get the blankets and cover him up, but with the rubble still on his legs, I can't elevate them."

Sheppard wiped at the sweat on his brow and tried again to control his trembling muscles. Maybe McKay was right after all. 

"Can you move your feet at all?" McKay asked.

Sheppard nodded. "I just can't move my right leg."

"It's just his right leg. His feet move okay." McKay started moving away. "I'll be right back."

Sheppard didn't have the energy to argue with him. He just closed his eyes. Rodney was back soon with an armful of blankets. After a minute, he said, "Okay, Carson, I've done as much for him as I can until you get here."

Sheppard cleared his throat. "I could use a couple shots of tequila . . . you know, to dull the pain. For medicinal purposes only," he whispered.

"Dream on, flyboy," McKay said with disgust. "If I had any alcohol, I'd be drinking it myself."

Rodney sighed. "We have to move the rest of the rubble away before we can see what's going on with his leg." 

He looked to Sheppard and frowned before his expression softened. "I'm going to climb back out and get to work unless there's something else you need."

Sheppard shook his head. "I need to be out of here."

"Right," McKay said as he started to climb back through the opening. "You know, my back will never be the same again," he complained. 

McKay didn't wait for Sheppard's response. He just hoisted himself up and out. Soon, Sheppard could hear him working again, but strangely without any further complaints.

**oOoOoOoOo**


	5. Chapter 5

  
**Chapter Five**

"Sheppard?" Sheppard heard Rodney's hesitant voice call to him from his half dream, half-conscious state. He tried to take a breath of air, but the pain made it difficult. McKay continued in a lower voice, "Damn it, I'm not any good at this. Wake up already."

John opened his eyes and blinked a few times as his eyes tried to focus. Finally, he said, "McKay?"

"Finally! Yeah, it's me."

Sheppard started to shift to a more comfortable position, but stopped by McKay's hand on his chest. "Just sit still, will you? You get into trouble when you try to move around too much."

"Trouble?" Nothing made much sense to him, but at least he knew Rodney's presence wasn't a nightmare taking a left turn on him.

Rodney pulled his hand away and sighed. Though his voice echoed with biting sarcasm, there was also an undertone of deep concern. "Hello? Remember your leg?" 

Sheppard blinked a few more times. McKay cleared his throat impatiently. "I was beginning to think you were going to sleep through your rescue."

"Rescue?" John asked, almost mumbling. His mouth was incredibly dry and he stopped to swallow. 

"Do you have to repeat everything I say?" McKay paused as he shook his head. "Never mind. Help will be here soon."

Sheppard looked around, realizing he was still trapped in the rubble, but there was more open space around his head and arms. He could even see Zalea working at the control panel a short distance away with Masan lying beside her. Masan was in what used to be McKay's backpack that was now serving as a papoose/carrier. 

John swallowed again and asked, "What's Zalea doing?" 

McKay chewed on his lower lip for a moment before glancing over at her. "She noticed some strange readings and wanted to check it out. She was sitting right here until a few minutes ago. I just stopped to take a break." Rodney wiped at the sweat on his dirty forehead.

"Is Masan okay? I mean, he wasn't hurt when everything came down on us, right?"  
McKay smiled. "No, it looks like he's fine. Like any other baby I've ever seen, he knows how to howl like a banshee when he's hungry."

"A little like someone else I know . . . " John murmured and he forced open eyelids that were trying to drift shut. He licked his dry lips. "Are Zelenka and the others making any progress?"

"According to Radek, they should be breaking through any minute."

Sheppard frowned as he opened his eyes. "Already?"

McKay looked down at him sharply. "Yeah, it's been six hours. They're nearly here."

"Six hours? I've been out that long?"

"Well, you have been in and out of it, mostly out."

Sheppard realized Rodney was wiping his hands on one of the blanket remnants, looking a little sick. It took another moment for him to notice it was blood that McKay was rubbing from his hands. McKay never handled blood well.

Sheppard raised his head for a closer look. "Are you hurt?" he asked, suddenly concerned. 

"No, this is yours."

When Sheppard stared at him in confusion, McKay said, "You're bleeding from somewhere. I was able to stick my hand in through a small opening near your feet. Carson wanted to see if I could feel a pulse in your legs, which I did. That's the good news. The bad news is there was a lot of blood and no way to see what's causing it or how to stop it until we get that rubble free."

Sheppard nodded, not knowing what to say in reply. McKay opened a bottle of water and poured some of it on his hands, then used the blanket again, this time removing more than he did on his first try. When he was done, he took a long swig from the bottle. 

Sheppard reached out with a shaky hand. "Let me have a drink of that."

Rodney stared back at him, looking a bit stricken. He lowered the bottle and shook his head slightly. "Uh, no, sorry. Beckett said you shouldn't have anything by mouth until he checked you out."

Sheppard nodded in understanding, but that didn't mean he had to like it. He swallowed again, but it was harder this time. He closed his eyes and started to fade away again without realizing it. McKay leaned forward, shaking Sheppard's arm gently. "Sheppard, stay with me. You have to focus," he said.

"Well, it's kind of hard to stay focused when I'm cold, thirsty, and hurting," he said, hearing the tremor in his voice. At least, he wasn't shaking as badly as earlier, but he was still cold and sweaty. 

McKay bent closer. "You're mumbling. Speak more clearly if you want me to understand anything you say."

Sheppard glared at him and asked, "Why didn't you finish digging me out?"

"Because I'm not Hercules and can't budge that last section over your legs. If you wanted someone to rescue you singlehandedly, you should have made sure you had Ronon with you." McKay made a self-depreciating sigh. "The stuff is too heavy for me to move, even with Zalea helping. I tried to rig a block and pulley, but with the limited supplies we have and the condition of the room, I couldn't get it to work – "

McKay stopped speaking as his expression grew distant. "Yeah, Carson, I read you. Sheppard's awake again."

Rodney stared down at him, eyeing him closely. "Well, for a start, he's making a little more sense this time. Not that it's a big improvement."

Sheppard grunted. "Thanks."

McKay ignored him as he listened to Beckett. "He's thirsty. Can't he have a little water?"

Rodney rolled his eyes at Beckett's reply. "For which, I'm sure he'll be eternally grateful."

McKay removed the cap from his bottle of water and leaned over, supporting Sheppard's head as Sheppard took a slow drink. "Just a sip," Rodney cautioned.

It seemed like he barely got anything to drink by the time Rodney pulled the bottle away, then McKay slammed the water bottle down and pursed his lips together, looking like he was about to explode.

"I feel like a damned translator! Beckett wants to know – " McKay stopped, peering into Sheppard's ear, and then he reached into his pocket. "Here, I'll let him ask you himself."

He glanced at Sheppard as he moved closer. "We cleaned you up while you were out and there doesn't appear to be any more blood in your ear. Try this and see how you do."

He handed Sheppard his radio headset. Sheppard slipped it on. Even that small motion seemed to wear him out. "I'm here, Carson," he said with as much strength as he could.

Beckett's Scottish brogue was stronger than usual, reflecting his emotions as he asked, "Colonel, how are you doing?"

"Hanging in there. I'm a little tired of this, though." There was no masking the weakness in his voice.

"I'm sure you are. Now, I already know about your leg and concussion, so tell me are there any other injuries?"

"Isn't that enough?" Sheppard said with a grunt.

"For most people, but this is you we're talking about, son. Are you hurt anywhere else?"

Sheppard took a quick breath as he closed his eyes, trying to separate the collective areas of pain in his body into something more specific. Finally, he sighed. "I don't know. I hurt all over, but there's nothing else that stands out like the leg." 

"Well, hold tight. As soon as we get in there, we'll get right to work."

"And exactly what is taking you people so damn long?" McKay released a much put upon sigh as he whined, but then maybe he deserved to, looking as exhausted as he did.

Before Carson could answer, Zalea cried out, startling both Sheppard and McKay. "Doctor McKay, there's something wrong here!"

Just then, a claxon sounded a teeth-jarring alarm. Both McKay and Sheppard stiffened. Zalea looked at the control panel with her hands hovering over it. "Hurry!"

"What have you done?" McKay asked, scrambling to his feet.

"It's the overload you spoke of before the quake. The quake must have set things in motion hours ago, only we didn't know it until now."

"Damn it!" McKay cursed as she stepped aside, making room for him at the laptop. McKay's fingers flew over the keyboard so fast Sheppard wondered if the computer could keep up with him. "No, no, no, this can't be happening now when we're so close to being rescued. Son of a bitch!" 

Sheppard lifted his head and called out hoarsely, "What's going on?" 

McKay's face was scrunched up into a frown. "A major explosion if we can't stop it! And I do mean major. It will take out this entire facility – or what's left of it – along with us." McKay looked to the master control panel and his laptop again. "Can't we catch even one blasted break!" 

He tapped his headset. "Radek, we've got a new problem. Or an old problem that just reared its angry head again."

There was a high pitched whine from the other side of a far wall that ceased almost immediately. Zelenka answered, "What is it, Rodney?"

McKay started pacing. "The problem I was looking at before we ran into trouble this morning. The quake has caused a system overload, building up to a catastrophic overload. If we can't reverse things on our end, this whole place is going to blow."

"What can we do to help?"

"Get your butt in here ASAP. I'll need the instrumentation I requested before the quake hit. We're on a countdown now, every moment counts."

"Understood. We should break through to you in the next two minutes."

"I hope we have two minutes."

As Sheppard watched McKay, he caught Zalea's worried glance. She clutched Masan close to her, rocking him gently. The baby had started crying with the alarm and he was getting louder with each blast of noise. 

"McKay, can't you shut that damned alarm off?" Sheppard asked angrily.

Rodney hit a relay switch on a different panel and the alarm stopped, then he returned to the master panel. "That won't change the urgency of our situation," he said.

"Yeah, but it will give us a chance to think without going crazy or deaf."  
Now, the only sound was Masan's crying and Zalea quickly calmed him down. Radek's voice came back over the headset. "I need to have everyone standing away from the east wall. We are setting a charge to break through faster."

"A charge? Do you want to bring the ceiling down on us?" McKay's voice was incredulous.

"It should be a contained blast. It's either that or we wait until we can drill our way through . . . "

McKay gestured for Zalea to move over by Sheppard while he continued to work, saying, "Go ahead, but do it quick. We don't have all day, you know."

Sheppard noticed McKay hadn't moved away. Obviously, he thought he was at a safe distance away from the blast. Sheppard hoped he was right. 

Zalea knelt beside John. She was trying not to be obvious, but Sheppard could tell by her position and demeanor that she meant to protect him from the blast with her body.

He touched her arm. "Zalea, just watch out for Masan. I'll be fine."

Before he could say any more, Zelenka said, "Five seconds to detonation."

Sheppard closed his eyes. It was too late to argue. In the end, argument was pointless. The controlled blast was nothing compared to the dramatic collapse of the ceiling they'd witnessed earlier. After widening the tunnel entrance, Zelenka and Lorne entered. They were covered from head to foot in dirt, along with the rest of the men who followed them out. Zelenka stopped a few feet from the entrance and tapped his radio. 

"Okay, Dr. Beckett, it's clear for you and your people to enter. Just be careful in the tunnel. It gets a little tight in places."

"On my way," Beckett said.

Zelenka turned to McKay just as Lorne handed Rodney an armful of equipment. McKay sighed with relief. "Ah, good. Just what I need. Come along, Radek, we must work quickly."

Zalea looked down at Sheppard and squeezed his hand. "We are going to be okay."

Sheppard nodded, strangely out of breath. Before he had a chance to reply, Beckett approached them, kneeling at his side. "Colonel, I see you've managed to get yourself in another bind."

"Not by choice. I trust you people to get me out of this," he replied, looking to Lorne who was now at his side.

"You'll be home before you know it, sir," Lorne said.

The major smiled with determination, but his attention was quickly shifted to the rubble and how to move it. Sheppard's gaze went to Zalea and Masan standing near by. "Lorne, Get Dr. Modek and the baby out of here."

Lorne looked over in her direction and nodded. "Yes, sir."

He stood. "Sgt. Murphy, take Johnson with you and escort Dr. Modek to the surface."

Zalea shook her head. "I want to stay until Sheppard is free."

Lorne put his hands on his hips. "Ma'am, your husband is on pins and needles up top. I believe he's anxious to see his newborn son. And there is a medical team waiting for the two of you."

Sheppard looked up at her. "Go."

She looked like torn between choices and her chin quivered as if she was about to cry. Finally, she nodded, and bent down to kiss John on the cheek, whispering, "I'll see you again very soon." 

"Sure," he said. It was getting very hard to concentrate. 

By this time, Lorne and his men had surveyed the rubble. Lorne knelt beside Sheppard and said, "It'll just be a minute, sir."

"The sooner the better," he murmured.

Sheppard looked over McKay and Zelenka when McKay's voice rose. "Damn it, this should be responding by now!" He turned to Beckett. "You better get him out of here in hurry."

Zelenka's voice was very calm in comparison. "Not if we can just stabilize the root program. That should keep it from going critical and make it return to normal."

McKay paused. "Well, in theory, but that plan would take too long and time isn't something we have in abundance . . . "   
He started snapping his fingers. "What did you just say? Return everything to normal? That's so easy! Why didn't I see it before? What if we just disconnect all of the relays overseeing the power distribution and cause it to reboot. While it is rebooting, we go in and correct the power distribution to include all four power generators, thus solving our problems." 

"Disconnect them? What? Are you daft? That alone could trigger the – " Zelenka stopped to think, blinking several times. 

McKay beamed from ear to ear even as he started moving. "You know that's the way to do it." 

"It's a hell of an assumption."

"We both know I'm right and we're wasting time talking about it!"

Zelenka nodded, then shook his head, cursing in Czech. He looked to McKay as he moved into position. "It will take both of us working very fast to stabilize the system after disconnecting the other relays -- and before it reaches critical overload – that is, if this crazy idea works at all."

Sheppard put a hand on Lorne's arm before he moved away. "Lorne, you need to evacuate this area immediately. Get everyone out now, including yourself."

Lorne looked taken aback, "But, sir, we have to dig you out first– "

Sheppard's voice was hoarse as he said, "Forget about me, Major. Get these people out here now. That's an order."

Lorne met Beckett's gaze as the physician knelt beside Sheppard. John wiped at the sweat dripping in his eyes from his brow, preparing to shout the order if he had to. Beckett took a deep breath and interceded, "These people here are all volunteers. They know there's danger involved, and they opted to stay."

"No," Sheppard said, shaking his head.

With a sigh, Beckett continued, "Colonel, you are badly injured and in no shape to command. Let Major Lorne do what he needs to do since he's now in charge of this rescue operation."

Sheppard raised his head from the floor, knowing the effort it would take out of him, but he was adamant. "Damn it, Carson! I won't have anyone risk their lives for me. Now get out of here! All of you!"  
All of Sheppard's energy was spent on that action. He started to drop back to the floor, but Carson managed to put a hand under Sheppard's head before it hit the hard surface. 

"Give it a rest, son. Arguing with a Scot is invariably pointless. Allow someone else to risk their lives for you for once. Now, let me have a little look at what you've done to yourself while these gentlemen clear away the rest of that rubble."

He waved for Lorne and his men to get to work as he started taking Sheppard's vitals. Sheppard swallowed and closed his eyes. He was so damn tired. When the ground below him started shaking, his eyes flew open. Not again. Not now when there were so many others there to die with him.

Debris started falling right over Sheppard and Beckett. Beckett bent over Sheppard, keeping most of the dust and debris from hitting him in the face. Sheppard groaned with the ground's movement as they jarred the already sensitive wound. He ground his teeth together just to keep quiet.

He heard shouts from the others, recognizing Lorne's voice, then McKay's, but not the words, then he heard Beckett calling to him. He cracked his eyelids open and tried to focus as Beckett whispered, "Come on, Colonel. Stay with me." 

Beckett motioned to Lorne. "We need to get him out of here now. Do whatever you need to as fast as you can."

Sheppard was barely conscious as he heard the others working so much faster than McKay had done alone. They started to move the block lying at an angle across Sheppard's legs, when blinding white bolts of pain shot through his body. Sheppard screamed. By the time the scream ended, he had passed out.

**oOoOoOoOo**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

"Easy, Colonel," Dr. Beckett spoke to Sheppard using soft comforting tones, but Sheppard had no idea why he was being comforted. A hand rested on his shoulder. "Easy now."

Confusion swept over Sheppard and he began to struggle despite Carson's gentle tone, his arms flailing. "Let me go," he said through clenched teeth.

He was very cold, but his clothes were wet with sweat, and he was trembling like crazy. He tried to push up against the hand holding him down, a hand pressing against the center of his chest. Flashbacks to Kolya's wraith feeding on his chest became all too real, even as he heard Beckett say, "Please, Colonel, the more you move about, the worse the pain will be."

Not listening, Sheppard continued to struggle, then saw Carson reach into his medical kit and pull out a pre-filled syringe. He swiped Sheppard's upper arm with an alcohol swab and then plunged the needle in. 

"No," Sheppard whispered, but soon felt his muscles relax despite his agitation.

"Don't worry yourself. It's not enough to knock you out, but it will help settle things down a bit until we can get you out of here," Beckett said, patting Sheppard's arm. 

"You can start that second IV now," Beckett said to the medic with him. "We've got to get his blood pressure up. The sooner we can get him back to Atlantis and its medical facilities the better."

Sheppard faded again and the next thing he knew Beckett was looking at his leg wound, his pants leg cut completely away. There was a noise beside him. When he glanced over, he found McKay sitting next to him.

"What's wrong with my leg?" Sheppard asked.

"A piece of rebar went through your thigh."

"Ouch," he said quietly. The funny thing was he wasn't as disturbed by that revelation as he thought he should be.

"Yeah, ouch." McKay looked away, rubbing a hand over his mouth, looking pale. 

Sheppard let out a long breath, then he remembered the emergency situation earlier. "What happened with the overload?" he asked, disturbed at the way he slurred his words.

  
"Zelenka and I were able to abort the sequence."

"Good," he murmured as he sighed. He seemed to be floating in an odd haze of contentment. What had happened to all the drama and danger earlier? Now, everything else seemed so unimportant now. 

"Okay, Colonel, we'll be moving you in a minute," Carson said, patting him on the arm. He paused to look back at Sheppard's leg and sighed. "This is no bloody way to spend Christmas."

McKay barked at Beckett. "What the hell does Christmas have to do with anything?"

Sheppard chuckled as his head lolled to one side. "McKay, you really are the Grinch. I bet Santa gave you chunks of coal in your stocking every year."

"No, he didn't. I mean, I never got – ah, hell." 

That comment made Sheppard chuckle even more. McKay sighed with irritation. "You wouldn't be laughing so much if you really paid attention to that 'that thing' sticking out of your leg."

Sheppard looked to Beckett. He couldn't seem to remove the smile that was plastered on his face and his voice sounded almost whimsical as he asked, "Yes, Carson, when are you going to get that 'thing' out of my leg?"

"I'm not going to do it here, son. But don't worry yourself. We'll get it out when we get you back home to Atlantis. Now, tell me, how's the pain?"

Sheppard paused, frowning as he looked for discomfort and found none. "Not bad. In fact, nothing hurts much now. What did you do?"

"There's something in the IV to help with the pain."

"Ah," Sheppard said. He nodded as the realization sunk in. That explained everything. He smiled at Beckett. "It's the good stuff, right?" 

"Aye, Colonel, it's the good stuff. Now, rest. You've lost a great deal of blood and the trip up to the surface won't be easy."

"I'm good to go," he said with a salute.

"Sure you are. Just rest a moment."

McKay leaned over to Beckett. "You gave him too much. He's downright loopy."

"He'll be needing it in just a few moments."

Beckett turned to Lorne. "We need to get him back to Atlantis and its medical facilities ASAP. I've got him as stabilized as I can manage for the moment."

Lorne nodded to his men. "Let's get moving."

They picked Sheppard up using the litter. They started to walk away as McKay helped Beckett gather the last of his medical paraphernalia. 

"Wait!" Sheppard shouted suddenly, putting out his uplifted hands.

Everyone stopped. Sheppard craned his neck to look back. "We can't leave without the Grinch."

"I am not the Grinch."

Sheppard smiled when he caught sight of McKay. Rodney merely sighed as he caught up to them, saying, "Just shut up and let them get you to the surface."

Sheppard nodded, his eyes glassing over as his eyelids drifted shut. Lorne grinned despite their grim situation. "Get moving, guys. The sooner we're back to Atlantis, the better."

McKay started walking slightly ahead of Beckett. He mumbled, "I think I liked him better when he was grumpy and in pain. A Sheppard that talks of Grinches and Santas is weirding me out way too much."

Beckett chuckled. "Aye, I'd have to agree with you there."

"You're no fun, McKay. You really need to learn how to lighten up," Sheppard murmured from the litter.

"Maybe it's not possible for a Grinch to lose his doom and gloom perspective," McKay muttered.

He caught Carson's questioning expression that turned into a smile. "Aye, lad, it is. But it takes lots of practice and patience. And patience isn't your strong suit. Come on, let's be moving. I've got patients to take care of once we make it to the surface."

Sheppard wondered why everyone was so grim. It seemed to him that things had taken a definite turn for the better. Everyone was getting out safely, including the Grinch, Wendy Who, the baby, and even himself. What more could a person want for a Christmas present?

**oOoOoOoOo**

"Colonel? Can you hear me?"

Beckett? John opened his eyes and saw that he was in the infirmary at Atlantis. A part of him relaxed, but the strong emotions from his fading nightmare stayed with him.

"You were dreaming, Colonel. Just take a moment to let it pass."

Sheppard started to speak but coughed. His mouth was dry and his throat sore. Beckett got a cup from the bedside tray and dipped a spoon into the ice. "Here, try this."

He gave Sheppard the ice chips and said, "You are in recovery. We had to take you into surgery to stop the bleeding in your leg and to repair some of the damage there. Take it slow."

Sheppard nodded, grateful for the ice chips. They were soothing, and cooled the burning in his throat. He closed his eyes for a moment and must have drifted to sleep again, because the next thing he knew, he was shouting again. 

In this dream, he was back in Kolya's hands, back with the wraith that fed on him, tightly bound in a chair with a gag over his mouth and he could feel the wraith suck years from his life without being able to stop it.

"Easy, Colonel," Beckett said, rubbing Sheppard's shoulder. "Try some slow deep breaths."

Sheppard nodded, trying to follow Carson's instructions, but it wasn't easily done. He hadn't dreamt of the feedings in a long time, so why now? Beckett had a cup of water for him this time. Sheppard took it with shaky hands and tried to drink it in one long gulp, but Beckett stopped him.

"Not all at once," he cautioned.

Sheppard nodded and drank more slowly. He handed the half-full cup back to Beckett and looked around. It had to be nighttime, because the lights in the infirmary were dimmed.

Beckett set the cup on the bedside tray. "How are you doing now?"

Sheppard shook his head. "I'm fine. It was just a dream – "

"Were you having a lot of them before this mission?"

"No, not really."

"Maybe it's just the stress of being injured, combined with the anesthesia and pain medication that's brought them on. Just take a moment to settle yourself."

"I'm okay, Carson."

Beckett looked like he didn't believe him, but didn't press the issue. Sheppard reached for the water again and this time his hands weren't as shaky. Beckett leaned against the bed next to Sheppard's and didn't say anything for a long moment, then his expression turned serious. "I know you don't like to talk about your time with Kolya and the wraith, but maybe we should."

Sheppard felt his expression tighten, then he forced himself to relax. "I've told you before that I'm okay with that. I've made my peace with it."

"But if – "

Sheppard shook his head. "We aren't going there."

Beckett backed away, looking a little disappointed. "I suppose not. I didn't mean to intrude."

John stretched his neck and nodded finally. "I know you didn't. It's in the past. I'm over it."

Beckett looked at him hard. "Are you really?" 

He pointed to the monitors surrounding Sheppard. "These monitors suggest otherwise, as do the nightmares you've been having, but I won't press you on this right now. Just remember if you ever need someone to talk to . . . "

Sheppard nodded. When he spoke, his voice determined as he said, "I dealt with it before, I can deal with it again." 

Beckett smiled sadly and straightened. "I better let you sleep. I'll be working in my office. Press the call button if you need anything."  
"Thanks, Doc."

Carson walked slowly out of the room and Sheppard let out a slow breath. He tried to straighten himself in the bed, but his movements were limited by the pain coming from his leg. "Get a grip, John," he whispered to himself.

He took a deep breath and made himself relax. There was a certain frame of mind he needed to find. After spending time with Teena and the Ancients from the sanctuary before they ascended, he supposed one might call it a meditation. Whatever it was, it always helped to calm him down whenever the nightmares came.

He thought about Atlantis, focusing his thoughts on watching a spectacular sunset from the west pier, the soft sound of the waves lapping against the edges of the city, the laughter from his team members as they stayed in the mess hall long after everyone had left. 

Those were tangible things that brought him solace, almost as effective as Ferris wheels and blue skies. Those were the things that came when he thought of home. And they were the things that now made all the difference in his life, the things that helped to keep the past where it belonged, in the past. Somewhere in his self-styled meditation, he fell asleep, a deep relaxing sleep that came from the satisfaction of being home again.

**oOoOoOoOo**

The next day, McKay brought Sheppard a gift. John was more alert, having shaken off most of the aftereffects of surgery. "What's this?"

"What does it look like?"

"It looks suspiciously like a Christmas present." Sheppard looked up at him, slightly puzzled and frowned. "Why?"

"Why? Do I have to have a reason?"

"For someone who doesn't believe in Christmas, this is a serious change in attitude."

Sheppard continued to frown at him. 

McKay sighed. "Oh, for heaven's sake. Maybe I was hoping you'd stop calling me a Grinch."

Sheppard chuckled. "Yeah, but the bigger question is did your heart grow three times its size?" 

"Very funny." 

McKay straightened, pulling something from a pocket. He handed it to Sheppard. It was a picture of Zalea and Masan. 

Sheppard smiled, a sigh of satisfaction slipping from his lips.

"They are doing well and send along their regards. Zalea wants us to return to her planet when you are able to travel again. She wants us to be in a ceremony for Masan. Something about being 'special ones' for Masan. I guess it's the equivalent of a godparent."

"Sure." John nodded. "How do you know about all of that and where did you get this picture?"

McKay looked a little uncomfortable. "Well, I am nothing but thorough and I wanted to make sure the power generators were operating properly. I mean, you did volunteer my services."

"And while you were there, you went to see Zalea."

"Yes, yes, what's so strange about that?"

"Masan got to you, too, didn't he?"

"Yes, well, I did help him come into this world. And he's not too unpleasant as far as small people go . . . "

Sheppard looked at McKay's Christmas gift in his hands. Maybe McKay's heart *had* grown three times as big. He shook the package. "This is too heavy to be a candy cane or Christmas cookies."

"I looked around but couldn't find any chunks of coal to put in your stocking, so this will have to suffice."

"I don't have a present for you. You made it abundantly clear that you didn't want to be involved in the 'ritual' as you called it."

McKay shook his head. "Stop trying to analyze my motives."

Sheppard shrugged, deciding to drop the subject. "So what is this? It's heavy but not as big as a bread box."

"You can continue to guess what it is or you could open it and save me the monotony of listening to your incessant guesses."

Sheppard gave him a disgruntled look and tore off the wrapping paper. He recognized it right off. "My laptop, what a novel idea to give me something that was already mine."

McKay sighed. "That's not the present. Turn it on."

Sheppard's mouth dropped open when he saw the new addition to the desktop icons. " _Dead Things II_? I didn't think that game was going to be released on Earth until the spring."

"It hasn't been released. I have a few connections. Pulled a few strings. It arrived today with the Daedalus. A very top secret operation."

"Sweet!" It was all Sheppard could think to say as he clicked on the game.

McKay smiled and pulled out a couple of game controllers from his jacket pocket. "I get first choice on characters. I'm the Grim Reaper."

Sheppard's eyes widened as he stared at McKay. "Hey, that's my guy. Besides, I should get to go first. After all, you said this was my gift." 

He gave McKay his best begging look and topped it off by rubbing his bandaged leg.

Rodney rolled his eyes. "Crap. You really think that pitiful expression is going to sway me? I got you the game. That means I get to choose."

Sheppard sighed, letting his head sink into his pillow. 

"Oh please, give it up already. Okay, you can be Grim Reaper if you're going to pout, but be warned, I already know all the cheat codes."

"Hey, that's not fair!"

"Of course, it is. I need every advantage possible when it comes to you and playing this game."

"Well, let's get to it."

They began to play and were on the fifth level when McKay looked over at Sheppard. "So, you're, uh, okay after everything? I mean, there was a lot of crap going on after the quake. You're a tough guy and all, but even so . . . "

Sheppard looked at him curiously, especially at McKay's stumbling way of checking on him. "Yeah, I'm okay with it. Just another day at the office."

"Good," McKay said smiling, then his smile turned evil as he raised an eyebrow. "I just wanted to make sure before I pulled off the kid gloves and kicked your ass."

John snorted. "You wish. Prepare to get your ass handed back to you on a silver platter."

"Like that's going to happen." McKay grinned maliciously and they started playing the game in earnest. 

**oOoOoOoOo**


End file.
